They Did Not Ask Counsel Of The Lord

Joshua 9:18 - Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.

The nation of Israel was in the process of going into the promised land and the inhabitants of Gibeon heard they were coming. They schemed up a plan to deceive Israel into making a covenant with them. They put on old clothes and put moldy bread in their sacks to make it look like they had traveled from a far away place. They met the Israelites as they were coming toward their city. The Gibeonites told their story to Joshua and deceived him into making a Covenant with them. Joshua and the children of God were deceived because they did not ask God before they took provisions from the Gibeonites and before they made a covenant with them. I believe they wanted the provisions and to be in covenant with the Gibeonites more than they wanted to obey God. This condition will always open us up to deception or to be deceived. When we really want something bad enough most of the time we will do whatever it takes to get it. This includes not asking God if it's His will. The scripture talks of people who's god is their belly or their fleshly appetites. Eve never asked God before she ate of the apple. She wanted the apple because it was appealing to her flesh. There was something appealing about the Gibeonites to the children of Israel. Remember there is a way that seems right to a man but the end is destruction. Thee are many things that come our way in life that feel, look, taste or smell right but they are deceptive and will lead to death.

Deception is a big topic in the Bible. Lets look at another verse.

2 Thel 9-10 - The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and wonders, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.

The lawless one is Satan and he is seeking whom he may devour and to cause people to perish. The lawless one is also our flesh or sinful nature. Rms 8:7 says the fleshly or carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God nor indeed can be. Those who live according to their flesh cannot please God. In the above verse, people will be deceived because they loved not the truth. When you don't love the truth you open yourself up for a lie. The verse would go onto say that God sent them strong delusion that they would believe a lie. The problem with believing a lie is that those who believe a lie think they are believing the truth.

Finally Rm 1:24-26 - "Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural for what is against nature". When we choose to live our lives without seeking the truth of God and seeking His counsel for our lives we are worshipping ourselves rather than God. Many today live their lives like this and yet say they worship God because they follow some religious creed or go to a religious service. Please don't be deceived. Women and men doing what is against nature is homosexuality and is a result of God giving them over because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. Everyday people are being led down the path of deception because they have a truth they fits the way they want to live and have even changed God's word to condone their beliefs. I know this rubs people the wrong way in our culture of tolerance, but God's word is God's word.

God is the only one who can keep us from being deceived. We must consult Him and depend on His truth in every part of our lives. The Holy Spirit is our helper from God to lead is into all truth. Jesus is our truth. Seek council from God everyday and in all things. Make His word a priority in your life. Pray and be filled with His Spirit everyday and don't make decisions apart from His council. be led by the Spirit and not by your flesh. Follow and learn His every word. Remember Jesus said as he rebuked Satan that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.